


What I Would Give to You

by sarbearishere



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Hanahaki Disease, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Keith is kind of a jerk, Lance and Keith are soulmates, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Pining Lance (Voltron), Soulmate-Identifying Marks, can't spoil sorry, keith and shiro estabilished relationship, klance, klangst, not for long though, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-04 22:04:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18821644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarbearishere/pseuds/sarbearishere
Summary: For Keith, Lance would do anything. For Lance, Keith wouldn't even spare a glance.Hanahaki Disease AU/Soulmate AU where Keith and Lance find out they're soulmates, but Keith is already happily engaged to someone else.





	What I Would Give to You

**Author's Note:**

> Lance and Keith are in their last year of uni and share a dorm building. Shiro is a year older than Keith and Lance.

Looking back, Lance would almost laugh at their silly rivalry. The pettiest things would set the two off, quarrels that would last for way too long. Lance would laugh, because the rivalry was the last enjoyable memory he had with Keith. In fact, it was all just fun and games until Lance decided to draw a dick on Keith's forehead as a joke, but it appeared on his own as well.

They had been roughhousing on a couch in the rec room at their dorm when Lance thought it'd be a genius idea to draw phallic objects on Keith. A dick on a dick he thought to himself, causing him to chuckle. He grabbed a permanent marker from the table beside him and pounced on Keith. A growl was the last thin heard from the latter before a magnificent penis was drawn on his forehead. Lance doubled over in laughter but Keith's face was frozen. When Lance gathered himself, he looked at Keith's expression with confusion and asked what was wrong. Keith, unable to speak, just pointed to Lance's forehead. Lance, still confused, pulled out his phone and turned on the camera, taking a good look at himself. Normally, he would make a passing comment about how beautiful he looked, but this time he donned the same stone expression Keith had on. There was a penis, identical to the one on Keith's forehead, on his own.

Keith and Lance looked at each other for a brief moment, expressions blank, until realization dawned. 

Lance's mind flashed back to his mother, with 6 year old Lance on her lap. She was telling him a story while brushing his hair. The story every parent said to their child at some point in their life. The story of soulmates. Lance remembers now, his mom telling him how anything inked on his soulmates skin would appear on his own, word for word. Lance remembers now, all those tiny notes that appeared on his arm throughout his life, jotting down to-do lists. Lance remembers now, all the ugly doodles dotting the palm of his hand, and how he made a promise to make fun of his soulmate about these when they met. Lance remembers now, the time he caught a glimpse of Keith's notebook, and saw equally hideous drawings, but chose to ignore them because "Keith Kogane cannot be my soulmate." Lance realizes now, "Keith Kogane is my soulmate."

Keith seems to realize the same simultaneously. He looks from Lance to his left hand, where on his ring finger rested a silver band. It had only been a month since Keith and Shiro got engaged, but it feels as if they've been married for years, considering how lovey-dovey they are. If Lance had to describe Keith and Shiro's relationship, he'd say it was the complete opposite of his and Keith's. Smiles instead of frowns, cuddles instead of play punches, soft words instead of rough yells. It was obvious to anyone looking at them that Keith and Shiro were utterly in love. Lance was fine with that, he was happy for them, because he knew for a fact that neither of them were his soulmate.

When Shiro revealed to him that Keith wasn't his soulmate, Lance was confused. Growing up, Lance believed that finding his soulmate was the ultimate goal in life. He refused to even date someone until he was sure they were his soulmate. After entering high school, that resolve was quickly forgotten as he was swooned by many girls and boys, but he was always hesitant to enter a long-term relationship until he was certain they were his other half. So hearing about Shiro and Keith getting hitched despite not being linked felt odd to Lance, but he decided to brush it off. Many people ended up marrying someone other than their soulmate, for the task to find their other half turned to be more of a chore. To many, it didn't make sense to draw something on their skin every time they met a new person, so finding their soulmate became a secondary goal. Lance, still adamant to find his own, was considered old fashioned. 

Lance's goal in life was to find his soulmate, but now that he did find him, he wished he never had one to begin with.

Both Keith and Lance were silent for a few moments. A thousand thoughts ran through Lance's mind, ranging from "This can't be happening" to "What about Shiro?" to "Will Keith leave Shiro for me?" to "No, that would never happen" and back to "But would it?"

Lance was just about to open his mouth to say something when Keith interjected.

"Please pretend that never happened." With that, he got up from the couch they were sharing and walked out of the room, leaving Lance alone with all of his thoughts.

Just like that, anger erupted in his chest. Lance, a little more than offended, sat there processing what just happened. Keith, his soulmate, told him to forget that he was his soulmate. If Lance's pride wasn't so hurt, he'd swear he felt a more subtle, deeper pain within him. He decided he'd do just what Keith asked him to do, because no way in hell would Lance settle for having Keith as his soulmate.

***

The next morning, Lance wakes to find Keith gone, his bed made neatly. Figures he'd avoid me, Lance admits to himself, with the tiniest bit of bitterness. He lets out a sigh and checks the time, almost falling off his bed after doing so. Hastily, he gets ready, and within 10 minutes he's out the door. Shit he thinks to himself shit shit shit. It was the first day of the new semester and he was already running late for his first class. Business, the only class he didn't share with Keith. At least he wouldn't have to face the added embarrassment of being late in front of Keith. Lance can handle Keith refusing to be his soulmate, but he would never accept "losing" to Keith, in any way, shape or form.

Their rivalry started during their first year of university, even before they'd officially met. You see, Lance was running late, as usual, but this time he had a partner in crime. Keith, who forgot school started that day, was also running behind schedule. The two had entered through the school grounds at the same time and sprinted in the same direction. It didn't take Lance long to figure out they were both headed to the same class. Without even so much as a word passing between the two, Lance made the sprint to class a race. When Keith ultimately reaching the classroom first, Lance's first words to him were "you won't win next time." He gave Keith a halfhearted pat on the back before taking his seat, leaving a very confused Keith still standing at the doorway.

Thus, their unlikely friendship began.

Throughout the years, Lance admits he harboured the teeniest tiniest crush on Keith. When Lance was excitedly telling Keith about the new videogame he bought, he couldn't help but notice Keith actually paying attention, unlike his best friend Hunk who brushed it off as another one of Lance's long talks. When Lance forgot his pen during Aeronautical Engineering, Keith handed him a spare pen before Lance even had the chance to ask for one. Little instances like this caused Lance to see Keith as more than just a rival or a friend. However, when Keith started dating Shiro, Lance forced himself to stop imagining "what ifs." He forced himself out of the crush and he could almost swear it worked perfectly because when the two got engaged, Lance only cried for one night. 

Lance doesn't mind, truly. As cliche as it sounds, he's happy as long as Keith is happy, and if he thinks Shiro is the perfect one for him, then who is Lance to disagree. He thinks if he had met Shiro before Keith, he'd be head over heels for him too. He was happy knowing Keith had found Shiro instead of someone else, because Lance couldn't handle the thought of Keith being with someone who didn't deserve him. The month after they got engaged, Lance got to know Shiro a lot better since it seemed as if he spent more time at Keith and Lance's dorm than his own. He didn't mind though, Shiro was fun to be around. He always made you feel included and important. He really was fine with the idea of those two being together. That is, until the revelation of yesterday. Still, he was determined to ignore the marker that appeared on his skin, the extra measure Keith took to ignore him, and the deep pain within Lance's chest that only seemed to be growing stronger.

***

It was during his lunch break did he see Keith for the first time that day. True to his nature, he was sitting alone at a table in the food court of their university. Lance was debating whether or not he should go sit with Keith, and he figured the only thing worse than hanging out with your soulmate who didn't want to be your soulmate, was ignoring your soulmate completely. 

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Lance felt the words getting stuck in his throat and found it hard to spit them out.

Keith flinched as Lance took the seat next to him and he seemed to contemplate something in his mind before replying.

"Nothing, just on break after Accounting. Shit took up all my energy." Even looking past Keith's usual awkwardness, it was obvious that he was very stiff around Lance. Not being able to handle the uncomfortable air around them much longer, Lance decided to come clean.

"Look man, I did what you said and wiped what happened last night from my memory. I swear I don't look at you any differently than I did yesterday morning, so can we please stop acting as if we murdered a man together?" To emphasize his point, Lance took a sip of Keith's juice, something he'd always done, much to Keith's chagrin. Keith, keen on taking Lance up on his offer, was quick to snatch his juicebox back, earning a wide grin from Lance.

"For your information, if we did kill a person together, you wouldn't find me anywhere in this country."

Lance let out a hearty laugh, glad that the awkward atmosphere had been broken. He was quick to start rattling on about the girl who was snoring in front of him during Business, subsequently missing perhaps the most important part of the introduction lecture. Keith, also happy that he could finally talk to his friend again, listened along with a small smile on his face.

They were chatting for a good half hour before another person joined them at the table. The two boys looked up simultaneously at the tall man who sat in front of them. Shiro gave a slight wave before taking a sip from Keith's juicebox. Lance couldn't help but notice how Keith let him. 

"You guys won't believe what just happened! Professor Coran just offered me a TA position for his first year computer engineering class! I can finally get paid for being around that wacky dude!"The last comment earned a round of laughter from the two boys sitting in front of him. Lance and Keith both offered their congratulations before Keith and Shiro started chatting about what the new job would ensue. The couple were so engulfed with each other they barely took note of how uncharacteristically quiet Lance was next to them. When they talked, it was almost as if they'd enter their own world, one where they were the only inhabitants. Lance looked at them rather ruefully before deciding he was running late for his afternoon class. He got up, said a quick goodbye, and took note of how neither bothered questioning why he decided to leave to abruptly. 

As he walked out of the food court, Lance kept telling himself he didn't mind. They were engaged, of course they'd like spending time with each other more than spending time with a friend who babbled too much. Lance didn't mind. He didn't mind how Keith laughed harder, smiled brighter around Shiro. Of course he would, Keith loved Shiro. Lance didn't mind. He also didn't mind the throb in his chest that seemed to be ten times more painful than it had been before lunch.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm transferring this story from Wattpad (my user is Sarah91013) to here and it's my first time writing something serious. I'm super excited to get this story started, so I hope y'all like it!


End file.
